Yesterday we had freezing drizzle here in St. Louis, today it's 65 heading for 70. Dang weather woke me from my hibernation. Belated congratulations on all the accomplishments I missed like Ed, Lumpy, Joan, et al. It's probably because it's been so long that I've forgotten that I was a smoker and that I quit! (Or it may be advancing age)

Actually it will be the 13th. There are three things that I will never forget because they are crucial to my staying alive: Debbie's Birthday, Our Anniversary, and when I quit smoking in that order! Other than my memory Debbie and I are doing just fine. I am feeling broke but for good reason. Now that I am no longer paying five thirds of my income paying for cigarettes, for Christmas I paid off Debbie's auto loan and 2 weeks ago I paid off our mortgage. Now I no longer have to worry whether I forgot to make the payments! In the meantime I have too much time on my hands for TV and watching the world go to hell in a handbag. I think I'm ready to get away from it all. How about the Cook Islands: https://www.google.com/search?q=cook+islands&hl=en&c...

Fire up the Yugo I'll pack the pontoons we need to get to the Cook islands. At least that's what I think he said, maybe he was going to cook some I-talian for us... Who cares? We get to celebrate with Elliot and the TMFQS gang.

Ed, I was thinking along the same lines that maybe Elliott thought the islands were named for an activity rather than a person. If you can't locate the pontoons I have many empty 55gal. oil drums that should work. The cyber Yugo with the full body flame paint job and the swarm-of-bees muffler is a self made diesel that can tolerate some gasoline. Quite advanced for its time.

Elliott -ready to Cook? All the smoke will be from the BBQ once the car is put out and Ed regains consciousness.Good job on the not smoking, by the way. Keep doing that.

It is so beautiful here on the beach! The sun is just starting to set, the water is a beautiful shade of blue, and a band is starting to play sweet Polynesian songs. I say we start a bonfire here on the beach and gather around it for the awards ceremony.

Elliot, please step over here by the fire (not too close). Allow me to present you with this beautiful gold loving cup, covered in diamonds, with the number thirteen spelled out in rubies and emeralds.

Those jewels sparkle like your teeth. I know that sounds strange, but you have the whitest teeth I have ever seen! They really do sparkle!

C*O*N*G*R*A*T*U*L*A*T*I*O*N*S Elliot. Thank you for sticking around. A lot of people have dropped off the board, but you have always been here, posting regularly, joking around, trading barbs with Jack and Ed. Thanks for the loyalty and the humor.

I just want to thank you all. It's easy now but it was the help of everyone here when it was hard that made it easy! The little heart attack last March was a wake-up call but instead of a wakie-wakie now, it might have been nightie-nightie years ago if I hadn't quit smoking! Before I decided on the Cook Islands, I had thought about going to Colorado and celebrating with a Pot Party. Then I realized that I don't smoke anymore and Doc's got me on a low-fat, low cholesterol diet ruling out the brownies, so here we are on a great beach! We'll enjoy a kaikai of umukai cooked in an umu.

elliotI know now why this is called the Cooks Island. It's full of beautiful cookies. I guess that there's not too much delivery of girls clothes but I'm not complaining.

Being serious for a moment, my doctor in Sweden told me that there's "No Small Heart Attack". She is a beautiful woman and gave me a good idea of what has happened. I've had quite a few other doctors about my heart but one thing I remember from one of them. Each heart attack kills some cells in your heart. You have to keep your existing cells by following what the docs say. If not, the cells will continue to erode in your heart. This thought alone is enough to keep me from smoking again.